I hate the six-bye week. They have one every season, and I never like it. I'm assuming the reason is so that CBS and FOX can have the same number of games on Sunday (they both have five), but that also means there are only 10 Sunday afternoon games. I also can't understand why they don't just do four byes a week for eight weeks (4-11), but probably because that's too easy and makes too much sense.
Anyway, we officially begin the second half of the season with one team still undefeated (San Francisco) and one still winless (Cincinnati). I think one of those things will change this week.
Thursday Night: Oakland (Win)
Lions (3-4-1) at Bears (3-5): Detroit-Remember when people thought the Bears were going to be good this season? We were so cute back then! Chicago has struggled to score for weeks and has dropped four straight to place themselves firmly outside of playoff contention. The Lions find themselves in a similar boat, although their situation is far less dire. That'll especially ring true when Detroit gets the road win to even its record at 4-4-1. And, remember, the Lions don't have to worry about any tiebreakers because of their tie with the Cardinals in Week 1.
Ravens (6-2) at Bengals (0-8): Baltimore-Maybe I was wrong about Baltimore. Heading into the season, I wasn't that high on the Ravens. But it turns out Lamar Jackson is the real deal, and the Ravens' defense is just as good as it usually is. And now they have a victory over the Patriots where they dominated from start to finish. That has them in position to not only win the AFC North, but maybe even to get a first-round bye. The Bengals, meanwhile, are the only remaining winless team now that the Dolphins beat the Jets. Which has them in the pole position for the No. 1 pick.
Bills (6-2) at Browns (2-6): Buffalo-There was an interesting piece on ESPN.com the other day about the tailgates outside of Bills games. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do. It's a good read. Anyway, one of the main points they made is that there's this weird feeling among Bills Mafia this year. They actually have hope. That feeling was shared by Browns fans entering the season, but things simply haven't gone the Browns' way. That front-loaded schedule did them no favors, and now they have to deal with another good, potentially playoff-bound team. They're better than their record indicates, but 2-7 is 2-7.
Chiefs (6-3) at Titans (4-5): Kansas City-People still have their questions about a Matt Moore-led Chiefs team, but Kansas City's still in first place and in a great position for a playoff bye. They still need to weather the storm until Mahomes comes back, of course, but they got a win over Minnesota last week and should be able to grab another against Tennessee. The Titans simply don't have the offensive firepower to deal with the Chiefs' defense. And the Kansas City offense has found its groove, even with a backup quarterback.
Falcons (1-7) at Saints (7-1): New Orleans-Heading into the season, many thought this would be a marquee game. Well, thanks to the Falcons' 1-7 start that will likely cost Dan Quinn his job, that hasn't been the case. There's a silver lining, though. NFC South division matchups are always backloaded for some reason (Atlanta hasn't played one yet and the Saints have only played one), so the Falcons do actually have some hope that their season isn't entirely lost. But five division games in their last eight also gives the Saints a chance to beef up their record as they fight San Francisco and Green Bay for the top spot in the NFC.
Giants (2-7) at Jets (1-7): Giants-One of the New York teams definitely won't lose this week! That's about all I can say with confidence as the Giants and Jets meet for Big Apple "supremacy" for the first time in four years. Neither team is good, but the Giants are better right now. They hung with Dallas for a half last week and almost beat Detroit the week before. The Jets, meanwhile, have been moving backwards since they shocked the Cowboys. It's a Jet home game, but Big Blue will be leaving their home field with a victory. (Sidebar: The NFL requires the visiting team to come into town the night before the game and stay in a hotel. Does that apply here? And will it apply to the Rams and Chargers when they start sharing a stadium?)
Cardinals (3-5-1) at Buccaneers (2-6): Tampa Bay-Bruce Arians' current team against his former one. I've gotta admit, I didn't think the Cardinals would be as good as they are this season. They have five losses, but they were all to good teams, and they almost won two of them, including last week against San Francisco. So you would think I'm leaning towards Arizona? Well, I'm not. Tampa Bay has really shown that it can do something offensively and nearly pulled off another upset last week in Seattle. I think the Bucs score a lot of points again this week, and this time it ends in a victory.
Dolphins (1-7) at Colts (5-3): Indianapolis-Houston took over first place when the Colts lost in Pittsburgh last week, but Indianapolis can tie them atop the division (and technically take the lead since they beat the Texans) with a win over Miami. The Dolphins did manage to get a win last week. But playing the Jets at home and playing the Colts in Indy are vastly different things. At least they know they won't be joining the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns, though.
Panthers (5-3) at Packers (7-2): Green Bay-The Packers laid an egg last week against the Chargers. That's going to happen to most teams (not based in New England) over the course of the season. The Panthers laid an egg of their own two weeks ago in San Francisco, but rebounded nicely with that win over the Titans. Green Bay's got a big game in San Francisco itself after the bye. That showdown could be for a bye (or the No. 1 seed) in the playoffs, but not if the Packers don't win this one and get to 8-2.
Rams (5-3) at Steelers (4-4): Rams-Pittsburgh really has rebounded nicely after getting off to a miserable start. Now 4-4, the Steelers are right back in the wild card race. They face a big one this week against the Rams, who have finally started to figure things out themselves. Although, in fairness, their last two wins have come over Atlanta and Cincinnati. They need every win they can get to keep pace with the 49ers and Seahawks, though. This week will go a long way in determining which one of these teams will be playing games that matter down the stretch.
Vikings (6-3) at Cowboys (5-3): Dallas-After that little three-week hiccup (which was punctuated by a loss to the Jets), Dallas seems to have righted the ship. The Cowboys have put up 37 points in back-to-back wins over the division rival Eagles and Giants. Now they face a Vikings team that's on the second leg of a brutal road trip. Although, Minnesota did give Kansas City quite a game last week. All week they've been showing Kirk Cousins' record in primetime games because of how not good it is. No reason to think that won't continue.
Seahawks (7-2) at 49ers (8-0): Seattle-It's just like the old days! The Monday night game is the biggest game of the week! And, after the Patriots' loss to Baltimore last week, it features the NFL's only remaining undefeated team in the 49ers, who'll be taking on their division rivals. The Seahawks are really the team people should be talking about in the NFC West, though. Russell Wilson is having an MVP-type season, and they might be the third-best team in the NFC behind Green Bay and New Orleans. The 49ers face their toughest test of the season, and I see the Seahawks handing them their first loss.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 80-55-1
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